What Happens At Dusk
by Corkrose
Summary: What if Sozin's Comet didn't come the summer after Aang woke up? What if Zuko had joined the Gaang after Ba Sing Se? The Gaang and the White Lotus would form a rebel army against the Fire Nation, that's what! Rated T (eventually M) for dark themes related to war, language, and some (non explicit) sexuality. Zutara AU
1. Choices

_Imagine if Sozin's Comet was coming five years after Aang woke up, instead of one. In this universe, Zuko and Iroh joined the Gaang in Ba Sing Se. Over the course of a few years, they have built up a rebel army with allies from around the world. (I never really liked the idea that the Gaang's work alone ended the war.). Oh and I'm using some small ideas I got from other fics. I'll let you know which ones though, so they can get credit for their amazing work. Keep in mind that this is my first ATLA fic, so be kind and let me know if I get some facts wrong. This story begins roughly four years after Zuko joins the Gaang. Zuko is 20, Katara is 18, Sokka is 19, Toph is 16, Aang is 16._

...

...

"Hello, Sergeant Luzon, what can I do for you?"

At the sound of his uncle's voice, Zuko looked up from the Pai Sho board to the skinny man standing in the doorway.

"No, thank you, General Iroh. I'm here with an urgent message for your nephew. General Zuko, there is a large group of beggars near the entrance to the fortress."

Zuko stood up and walked over to the soldier, filled with apprehension. "Did they say what they want, Sergeant?"

"No, sir. But one of them asked me to give you this—I haven't read it."

Taking the note, Zuko saw the seal and ripped it open immediately. He glanced at it before looking to his Uncle, "It's Toph!"

Zuko dropped the note on the Pai Sho Board before sprinting to the fortress entrance. "Open the gate," he called to the soldier on duty.

Zuko wiped his palms on his pants and pushed his hair out of his eyes. He was excited. He hadn't seen anyone from the Gaang in nearly a month on account of his army mainly doing rescue missions from the Boiling Rock and other prisons. It was still exciting and worthwhile work, but Zuko began to feel cooped up after months without seeing his "family."

Family. That was what he had grown to think of it as. Aang, Sokka, Toph, Suki, and Katara. He heart swelled a bit at the thought of Katara. This was not the time to be thinking of that, though. Toph was here—hopefully with news of a small victory in Ba Sing Se.

The gate opened, and in came a couple hundred soldiers—many of whom he recognized—dressed in ripped Fire Nation clothing. He looked at them for signs of defeat. They did not seem overjoyed, but they didn't seem forlorn either. They were chattering away looking relieved and grateful, but he couldn't discern what that meant. Suddenly, above the clamor came a voice Zuko could recognize anywhere. "Okay, everyone! Head to barracks C and D to change! You know he drill." He watched as she jumped up on a platform to direct her troops toward the barracks, "Come on, folks. Keep your asses moving! We haven't got all—Sparky!"

At the "sight" of him, she jumped off the platform and ran as fast as she could toward Zuko, arm braced for a punch. He stopped her fist in its tracks.

"Hey!" she complained.

"Nice try, Toph, but I'm not falling for that one again. I already have a perpetual bruise on my arm thanks to you!"

"Ha, you're lucky I haven't broken your arm yet. Just leave it to the fact that I don't hate you."

Zuko smiled and gave Toph a hug. "Seriously, though," he said, "It good to see you. I've felt so cooped up lately."

Toph smiled sadly. "Zuko, where's Iroh? I need to talk to you two."

He looked at her seriously and felt his face twist up into that expression that he thought he had left behind when he joined the Gaang. He nodded and they walked down the hall to the Generals Room, which was reserved exclusively for the Gaang and the Members of the White Lotus.

When the two made their way into the room, Iroh exclaimed, "Miss Bei Fong! What a pleasant surprise! We weren't expecting you for another two weeks."

"Yeah, well, no Dai Li can keep Toph Bei Fong down for long."

Zuko looked at the two and sat down. "What happened Toph? Why are you back so early and why are all of you dressed like beggars?"

He heard the immature impatience in his voice but couldn't bring himself to care. Toph sat down and sighed. "Haru had asked for my help with the resistance in Ba Sing Se a month ago, and Katara agreed to help." Zuko stiffened at the mention of Katara but said nothing. "I came from our base outside of Omashu and Katara came from the Western Air Temple." "We were going to help the underground resistance in Ba Sing Se, so we all dressed up as beggars to blend in with the rest of the city. Katara and I met with Haru to discuss what he though was the best course of action. Haru said that Earth Upper Class had been reduced to poverty by the introduction of the Fire Nobles, so he had an influx of Earth Nobles trying to join the underground resistance. The Dai Li began to notice strange behavior among the nobility, so Long Feng decided to randomly kidnap people they suspected of resisting Fire Nation rule as some sort of scare tactic. Katara and I agreed that we would help rescue the hundreds of prisoners being kept under Lake Laogai. So, three days ago, we attacked Lake Laogai."

She looked at Zuko and Iroh. Zuko could see the anguish in her eyes and his stomach dropped. "It was horrible, Zuko. They were torturing them. They were left in the dark for days chained up without food or water. The place smelled of death, and they just left the dead to rot next to the living. The only time they got food or water was when they were being tortured. And they—"

Zuko clawed at his thighs remembering his time in a Fire Nation prison camp three years ago. He bit back a shudder and motioned for Toph to continue.

"Katara worked tirelessly for hours upon hours healing the prisoners, as the rest of us held off the Dai Li so they could escape. Her face was so empty as she waded through the dead to find the living. I had never seen that look on her face before." Toph shuddered, but Zuko knew that look—the same one she had when they had confronted her mother's killer. Toph looked him straight in the eye. "She saved all of them."

Iroh's eyes widened, "All of them?"

"Where is she now?"

Toph and Iroh turned toward Zuko with solemn faces. "I tried to help her Zuko. But the Dai Li took her away. To the Boiling Rock, I thi—"

"So, she's alive?"

"Yes, but you know what they're going to do to a prisoner like her." Toph stated quietly.

They both knew what Zuko was like when he had escaped from prison years ago. He didn't speak for days. It took weeks of Katara's patient and ever-present love to get him out of the hell of his own mind.

Zuko suddenly stood up. "Uncle, rally my groups together for a meeting."

"Right now?"

"Yes. As quickly as possible."

Iroh scurried out of the room. Zuko slumped back into his chair and glanced at Toph. She was clearly concerned at his though process.

"I know what you're thinking, Toph, but I'm not acting rashly. She's probably only been there for a day or two. That means that I could get her away before. . ." he trailed off before he found the confidence in his voice again. "But I need to go there as soon as possible. I'm going alone, but I need my troops to know where I am."

"I'm going with you."

He was going to argue but decided against it. Toph would be useful. "Okay, fine, but please don't put yourself in anymore danger."

Iroh appeared at the doorway. "Your troops are assembled, Zuko ."

He nodded at his uncle and moved to the assembly room where his troops were gathered. His presence silenced the room as they all looked up to him.

"As many of you know, General Toph and General Katara's armies have arrived. Their bravery saved many lives of the Ba Sing Se Underground Resistance, but General Katara was captured by the Dai Li. She is mostly likely their highest profile prisoner and rescuing her will be far more dangerous than any other rescue mission. That is why General Toph and I will be making this journey alone."

"By the time we return, Generals Sokka, Suki, and Aang should arrive with the members of the White Lotus. Please prepare for their arrival while I am away."

With that, he stepped down from the platform, leaving a dutiful silence lingering in the air. Without saying a word, Zuko made his way to his chambers. He knew that Toph would get ready without his insistence.

When he got to his room, he fell back on the door and sank to the floor.

 _He felt strangely light as they ran away hand and hand from the cavern. He saw Appa in the distance. Sokka and Aang were already waiting for them. Katara jumped on and extended her hand. At that moment, he felt as if time had stopped. She was beautiful. Her hair was tosseled and she had dark rings around her eyes, but that didn't matter. She was beautiful_ —s _he had saved him._

 _He took her hand, and saw that Iroh and Toph were already on the saddle ready to go. As soon as he was on the bison, it took off. And, suddenly, Katara put her arms around me and held me as if he were going to dissolve into the air. From over her shoulder, I saw Aang hug Iroh. It still burned in Zuko's eyes. Aang's face as Iroh redirected Azula's lightning. Iroh had saved Aang, and Katara had saved Zuko._

 _Before Zuko knew it, Katara was no longer holding him, but she was lying asleep on his lap. The last thing he remembered before falling asleep against her was thinking that he was content for the first time in his life._

 _When he woke up a few hours later, they were on a ship. He felt his hammock swinging back and forth as he tried to get his berings. He moved out of the wooden room to go on deck, and there he found Katara smiling at him under the moonlight. He rubbed his eyes, "Where are we? What time is it?"_

 _She looked uncertain. "I think its about 2 in the morning. And we're on my dad's boat."_

 _"Oh," was all he said. He could guess what had transpired since he had been asleep._

 _"Katara_ — _"_

 _"Zuko_ — _"_

 _They had spoken at the same time. "You go first," he said._

 _"Zuko, I just. . . I can't believe you did it. I don't understand. . . Did what I say really make a difference? I mean, I understand but I don't understand."_

 _He looked at her intensely. She didn't look away but matched the intensity of her gaze to his. "Did you know that you're the first person to ever touch my scar?" She looked surprised but said nothing. "I got this scar when I was thirteen. My mother was long gone by then_ —taken away from me by my father's cruelty— _, and all I wanted was to live up to my father's impossible standards. I begged my Uncle to let me go to a war council meeting, so I could learn about being Fire Lord. He allowed me to come but warned me not to speak, and I wasn't planning to_ — _until the oldest general proposed to set up an army of new recruits on a suicide mission to distract the Earth Kingdom armies while experienced fighters could make an insignificant victory. I stood up and called the general a traitor. Who would send hundreds of their own men and women to their deaths? Where was the honor in it? That was not the Fire Nation I knew and loved. Well, Uncle pulled me out of the meeting then, but it was already too late. The general had challenged me to an Agni Kai. He was old and frail, so I wasn't worried. But when I actually showed up for the Agni Kai, I saw that I was going to be fighting against my father." Zuko said this without emotion, and he couldn't bear to look at her face. "I pleaded with him for mercy, but he had to 'teach me a lesson.' He_ — _"_

 _"He burned you," she breathed._

 _"And exiled me. My only choice was to capture the Avatar. That was all I cared about because I thought it was the only choice. . ." He paused and looked up at the moon. "But you gave me another choice. A choice that I hadn't seen before. You treated me how my mother used to treat me_ — _when I was happy."_

 _"Zuko_ — _"_

 _He cut her off though, taking her hands. "Katara, you saved me. You saved me from having to return to the man who did this to me!"_

 _He put his hands on her shoulders gently. "When you gave me that choice, it all became so clear to me. Ozai was not my father. Iroh was. The Avatar was not here to destroy the Fire Nation, but restore it. You are not some Water Tribe peasant, but the most courageous and compassionate person I have ever met_ — _and hopefully, my friend too."_

 _Silence fell over the two of them, but it wasn't uncomfortable. After a moment she placed her hand on his scarred cheek. "Thank you, Zuko."_

 _He looked at her as if she was crazy. "What?"_

 _"After hearing that, I think you are the bravest person I have ever met."_

 _He just stared. How could she have been more beautiful?_

 _"And I know you're going to be a terrific friend too."_

A friend, but now, it was so much more. Zuko put his hands over he face before making them into fists. He stood up and quickly put together supplies for his mission.

She had saved him Agni knows how many times, and now he was save her if it killed him trying. She was his light—his fire—and who was he, after all, without his fire?


	2. Real

_Thank you to Ana-DaughterofHades and prodigious11 who followed and favorited this story! This chapter is for you!_

 _Also, don't get spoiled. It's Thanksgiving, so I have had time to write chapters everyday. Hope you enjoy!_

...

 _"Zuko, what are we going to do? We've been stuck here for days, and this monsoon hasn't let up at all."_

 _His expressionless face looked up at her, and her frustration melted away. He had a way of doing that to her—calming her down or firing her up at the drop of a hat. He went back to meditating, peacefully. La, how he had changed in one year! His impatience—while not gone completely—had turned into self-control and restraint. His determination and obsession with honor and the Fire Nation turned into compassion for his fellow human. She studied him. The scar that once made her fear him, now made her smile fondly. She loved him—that much she was sure of. She did not know how he felt about her though._

 _He comforted and encouraged her, pushing her to do what she wanted to do instead of always being the self-sacrificing mother figure, but he was not afraid to call her out on her temper or mistakes—nor was she with him. He made her feel like the young woman she was—not the mom of the group or the the daughter of a Water Tribe Chief. They could laugh and be silly and feel like the children they never were, but they could also talk about grief and fear and war._

 _A few times, she felt something more. They would be sitting by the fire after the others had gone to bed, talking about something that only they understood, and suddenly, their faces would be breaths apart. In those moments, she felt like he would kiss her, but he didn't. He always pulled away. Other times, she would catch him looking at her as if she were the most precious thing in the world. It took her breath away every time._

 _But, there was one time in particular when she truly felt it. Azula had found their hiding place and was attacking them with brutal force. Zuko and Aang had somehow managed to make Azula retreat, but she wasn't going down that easily. Azula had struck lightning at the stone structure above her head. Suddenly, she had felt Zuko on top of her. She waited for the impact of the stone roof, but it never came. She looked to see that Toph and Aang had held it up with earthbending. Zuko had shielded her from—_

 _"Katara?" He looked at her confusedly before she realized that she had been staring at him._

 _"Sorry," she muttered, looking down at her feet._

 _"It'll be alright, Katara," he said softly, standing to take her hands, "The Gaang knows we're here, and if the Fire Nation couldn't destroy the Western Air Temple, then a monsoon certainly can't."_

 _She looked at him uncertainly, though not for the reason he thought. "Besides," he continued, "you happen to have a very powerful bender here who can keep us warm in the monsoon."_

 _Powerful bender? She looked him straight in the eyes. Was that destiny? She smiled. "Thanks, Zuko. I'm really cold right now, though, so could you warm me up?"_

 _He looked hesitant before he motioned for her to sit down. Her breath caught in her throat as she felt him come behind her, holding her. She relaxed against him._

 _He sighed. "You wanna hear something funny?"_

 _"Hm?"_

 _"This was how we were sitting on the night I joined you."_

 _She sat up and turned slightly so that she could face him as he held her. "What?"_

 _He smirked. "I got onto Appa, and you just grabbed me and held me tight. Then, the next thing I knew you were asleep in my arms, just like you are now."_

 _His voice had gotten quieter as he continued. "I remembered thinking how beautiful you were that night. You were sleep deprived and weak from prison, but you were still so beautiful. I thought that there is no way that you could be more beautiful, but you've just become more so day after day..."_

 _His hand came up to stroke her cheek. She shuddered as she rested her hand on top of his and leaned into his touch. "Zuko?" she asked, his name barely above a whisper._

 _"Hm?"_

 _She looked down at his chest. "If I told you that I was in love with you right now, what would you say?"_

 _He tilted her head up to look at him. "I would say that you have just made me the happiest man alive."_

 _She was not sure if this was a dream or not, still she smiled. "And why would that be?"_

 _He smirked, cupping her face in his hands. "Because I love you too."_

 _It took her a second to realize that he was kissing her. She had imagined it so many times, yet she could have never imagined it like this. His lips were soft and gentle, yet hot and passionate. His thumbs stroked her cheeks as she felt his tongue briefly touch hers. She leaned into his kiss, focusing only on the feel of his face against hers and the deafening sound of the rain hitting the stone floors around them. The rain came down in heavy curtains around their little stone roof, hiding them from the outside world. For a moment, there was no war and there was no suffering, only love._

Katara whimpered at the aching of her body. She was disoriented and lonely. She had been in the dark for two days—or had it been three? She was starving and dehydrated, and her brain could not form a coherent thought. All she could feel was the lingering pain of bamboo shoots under her finger nails and the cuts covering her body. The tears had stopped hours ago. Now, she was just bitterly, bitterly alone.

She suddenly heard the creak of the iron door and scurried into a corner. Not again, she thought, please, not again. In the doorway stood a tall, broad man.

"Please! I don't know where they are! I don't know anything!" she screamed.

Suddenly, the man grabbed her. "No!" she screamed, but instead of harming her, he just held her gently. She squirmed in his grasp.

"Oh, Katara, what have they done to you?" He kissed her face and her hands and her hair.

"Zuko?" she whispered. "Is that really you?" Then, abruptly she clutched his shirt. "Please, don't let them hurt me. No more. No more... No more..."

He put her hand on his scar. "Yes, it's really me, but we have to leave fast. Toph is waiting for us to escape."

In one motion, he scooped her up and held her thin body to him, cradling her gently. He carried her through various dark passageways, but she couldn't keep track of where they were or what they were doing. After a few minutes, she collapsed against his warm chest in exhaustion.

 _She could feel herself blush against his bare chest. She couldn't tell if it was the afterglow of lovemaking or simply the heat of his bare body in general, but she couldn't care less. The air was steamy from the union of fire and water—the balmy heat around her making her lazy._

 _Zuko had fallen asleep, but she lay there awake, looking at the torrential rain outside. She started to kiss his chest._

 _"Are you using my exhaustion to take advantage of me?"_

 _She looked away from his teasing eyes, "Maybe."_

 _He didn't respond, though; instead choosing to kiss her lips gently and lovingly. "I don't think I've ever been happier."_

 _She stuck her head into the curve of his neck and sighed contentedly, "Me neither."_

She briefly awoke to the feel of her head in the crook of Zuko's neck. She moaned. "She's coming to!" Was that Toph?

"Katara? Can you say something?" She felt him stroke her hair. "Katara! We'll get you back to base, and then everything will be alright. Everything will be alright. Everything—" Then, his voice turned to nothingness.

. . .

Zuko looked at her and touched her face. "Katara?" When he got no response, "Katara, please wake up!"

"Zuko, she's dehydrated. All we can do now is get her back to base."

He didn't want to listen, though. He wanted her to wake up, and tell him that she was safe and unharmed.

A tear fell from his cheek on to her hair. It glowed for an instant before fading, and she shifted in his arms. "Zuko!"

Toph put a hand on his shoulder. "I know you love her." He didn't have the strength to deny it. Everyone knew that he loved her, but he and Katara had agreed that they couldn't do anything that might affect his claim to the throne. "But, Zuko, you need to be rational right now. There's nothing you can do right now."

He bowed his head. Toph was right. Katara needed him to be strong right now. Silently; he held her to him as he steered their skiff toward the mountain which was serving as their military base.

He was terrified. Even when facing against his father or sister or the Dai Li, he had never been so terrified. The hours that had passed by seemed like lifetimes, and he couldn't remember what sleep felt like. The air was thick and suffocating and her normally cool body was feverishly warm against his.

He couldn't understand why they agreed to keep their love a secret. Yes, it was true that many people might not accept a Fire Lord who was married to a Water Tribe woman, but how could he live without her in his life? He was a broken man. Sixteen years of emotional and physical abuse and weeks of torture in a prison camp had taken their toll on his mind, but Katara had continued to rebuild his spirit. She never made him feel like a burden or like he wasn't worth the work. She had made him feel human again after he thought all of the humanity had been burned out of him.

When he caught sight of the volcano that comprised their fort, he whispered to Toph. "We're almost there. I'm going to light a torch."

His hand lit up in a small delicate flame. It changed from a orange to blue to white and finally to brillant scarlet—a technique which he and Aang had discovered after meeting the Sun Warriors. In the distance, he saw a matching flame illuminate the darkness and heard the almost imperceptible squeak of the gate entrance.

The skiff effortlessly swept on to the rocky beach of the volcano, and before the skiff had even stopped, Zuko had darted inside.

The only sounds Zuko could hear on the way to the infirmary were his footsteps—the sound was eerie in the dusky light. A sleeping healer sat against the wall in the dark room.

"Yugoda!" Zuko cried, startling the old woman. "Yugoda, quick I need some water."

The old woman scurried over to the bed where Zuko was standing. "Oh, La! What happened?"

Zuko stayed intently focused on Katara. "The Dai Li," he stated darkly.

She nodded and bent some water in Katara to drink. Katara coughed and moaned. Zuko looked worried, but Yugoda placed a hand on his shoulder, "It's a good sign, my Lord. It means she's taking the water."

Toph entered at that moment and silently stood next to Zuko. Yugoda grabbed the sides of Katara's tunic and looked at Zuko, "My Lord, if you don't mind—"

"I'm staying."

"But, my Lord-"

Toph slammed her hand down angrily. "Let him stay!"

Yugoda knew that she'd been beaten and quickly ripped Katara's tunic apart to find hundreds of nicks and cuts all over her torso. Her bindings had been ripped off replaced by rough ropes that had been tied around her chest.

Zuko's jaw clenched as Yugoda began to clean and heal her wounds. The skin was slow to knit together due to her blood loss and dehydration. Yugoda then motioned to Zuko to carry Katara into a tub of water. As soon as Zuko removed his arms from her, the water began to glow. It was so bright that the three of them had to look away from her glowing body. After a few moments, the light died away, and Katara began coughing profusely.

"Water!" She croaked.

Yugoda quickly grabbed a canteen and handed it to Katara. She took a large gulp, but Zuko put a hand on the canteen. "Take it easy," he said, taking the water from her.

She looked at him and grimaced as if she was going to sob, but no tears came. She reached out, taking his hand. "Zuko."

"Hush, I'm here now," he stroked her hair. "Please, just rest. I'll be here right next to you."

She nodded before quickly falling back into slumber. Zuko grabbed a towel and pulled her out of the water, moving her to one of the infirmary beds.

He didn't know when Yugoda or Toph left, but he didn't care. Katara was safe for the moment. He sat on a crate next to her bed and clasped her hand in his, resting his head on the side of her bed. And after an instant, sleep came.

. . .

 _There you go! Capítulo 2! Please, review_ — _I'd love to hear from you even if you don't speak English! Review! It kinda freaks me out when this story has nearly a hundred views and no reviews!_


	3. Healed

I've forgotten the disclaimer on the past few chapters, but it's kind of obvious that I make no money doing this and I don't own ATLA.

. . .

"Zuko!"

Zuko's head shot up, already feeling the marks on his head from sleeping in an awkward position.

"Zuk-oh, thank Yue, you're here!" Sokka strode into the infirmary, and Zuko dropped Katara's hand like a hot coal. "How is she?"

Zuko rubbed his eyes. "Yugoda thinks she'll be alright. She needs to rest though."

Sokka put a hand on his shoulder. "I just got here, but Toph told me everything." He stared Zuko in the eye. "Seriously, man. I can't thank you enough. Katara is lucky to have a friend like you."

Zuko avoided eye contact. After three years, Sokka was still oblivious to their affair, and Zuko was fine with that. This clearly wasn't the time to have that conversation. "Yeah," he answered noncommittally.

Sokka stood up, "You sure she's going to be okay?"

Zuko only nodded as Sokka left, leaving Zuko alone with Katara. In the pale light of the morning, she looked so fragile—unlike herself. He tentatively stroked her cheek and she bolted awake. A horrified expression swept over her face as her hoarse voice spoke, "No more. No more. No mor—"

Holding his hands in the air, he spoke softly, "Katara, it's me Zuko. You're safe." He watched for her response but her face was unreadable. "I love you and I'm going to make sure nothing happens to you."

Recognition flooded her face and he reached to hold her.

"Please." She held her hand up. "Don't touch me, now. Not yet. Please. I'm—out of sorts right now."

He nodded solemnly. "Do you want to talk at least?"

She shook her head and bit her lip. "Maybe later. I need a good memory right now."

He smiled sadly and thought for a moment. "Do you remember our first kiss?"

Her smile was labored but genuine, "Of course, the Western Air Temple."

He chuckled softly. "As memorable as that week was, that was not our first kiss."

She looked confused, but he smiled—she was going to be alright. He was sure of it.

"A few months after I joined you, we were going through that Fire Nation colony in the Earth Kingdom, and suddenly, you grabbed me, pulled me into an alley, and started kissing me."

She let a weak laugh slip, "I saw some people pointing at you, and I thought they had recognized you."

"I'm offended, Katara. You couldn't believe that maybe those people thought that I was handsome or something. You had to make it about the war!" She strained a laugh again. "I think you just made the whole thing up as an excuse to kiss me!"

Her smile widened as she paused to look at him. "Thank you, Zuko," she put her hand out slowly to touch his. "I love you."

His thumb gently brushed over here. "I know."

She shut her eyes and groaned. "How long was I there for?"

"Based on Toph's account, I'd say a little over two days."

The silence seemed to tell him more than her words could. A tear fell from her eye. "It was horrible, Zuko."

He swallowed, "I know." It physically hurt him to see her in pain.

"It was like Hama's cave multiplied by a hundred. And I kept fishing through bodies to find the ones who were alive, but among the dead—" She choked on a sob. "They were children and people we knew. There was this one man who I had passed almost everyday when we lived in Ba Sing Se. His face..."

"We don't have to talk about this right now."

She grabbed Zuko's arm. "Yes, we do, Zuko. This was evil. I need to do something—we need to do something. I keep reliving this in my head over and over and over... I can't just go on like this. I have to do something!"

He looked her in the eyes. "We will Katara. I promise you that we will win this war—for them and for us." She looked like she was going to say something, but stopped quickly. He continued, "The Gaang and the White Lotus is here. We're meeting tomorrow to discuss the Dai Li. We're gonna take back Ba Sing Se in the name of the Earth Kingdom."

Her shoulders collapsed, making her look infinitely tired at that moment. "Zuko, can you take me to your room? I don't want to be here anymore."

He nodded and picked her up. She looked so thin and frail. He could see her tremble uncontrollably. "Katara, can you try to relax?" And a tenseness replaced her trembling.

They passed a few other soldiers on the way to his room. Each troop backing to the side of the wall as they passed. Zuko paid no mind to them, but Katara's body began to tremble again. He just held her tighter as they walked into a cramped meeting room—the room where the generals could have small meetings. On the right was the passage to Zuko's room. He slid the door open and placed Katara on the bed. The room was small and the bed could hardly fit two, but at least it was private.

"Zuko, all your soldiers saw you carry me down that hallway—"

"My first priority is to make sure you heal. I honestly don't care about anything else right now."

"But the comet is only a few months away, and we really don't need anything threatening your right to the—"

"I know it's selfish and wrong, but when I heard that you had been captured, I was more terrified than I had ever been of anything in my entire life-not for the rebellion but for you. Katara, you are my life and without you I am nothing."

Sobs shook her body, and she buried her face in his chest. "Hold me, Zuko."

He was more than willing to oblige, and clutched her body to his as they laid down on the bed.

 _"No, Katara. It's not worth it. It's not worth the pain._ I'm _not worth the pain."_

 _He felt her cool touch against his cheek. "Zuko, put the knife down."_

 _"NO! No, no, no..." he fell to his knees. All he could feel was the pain and the psychological torture. He was only seventeen. He wasn't meant to do this—no one was meant to be in that much pain in their life._

 _"You lie, Katara,"he sobbed, "You say I'm your friend, but I'm nobody's friend. My own father didn't want me, my mother left me, my sister wants to kill me, my nation hates me. I've attacked you before. Why would you give a damn about me? I'm a monster. I deserve pain and death and_ —"

 _Her arms went around his shoulders and squeezed him tightly. "Zuko, Zuko, can't you see that you're the best of us all?" She choked on a sob. "You were good—_ _not because you were raised to believe in goodness_ _—_ _but because you were so naturally kind that you went against everything you ever knew for the sake of what is right." She pulled away from him and he found himself looking directly into her eyes. "Zuko, I couldn't do that. You inspire me to search_ _for what is right everyday._ That _is why I'm your friend."_

 _He simply looked into her eyes and saw love and sincerity. His body collapsed with exhaustion. He shut his eyes as she gently pried the knife from his hands. "Never give up without a fight."_

 _His head shot up and caught her gentle gaze. "I know you've been hurt, Zuko. More than I can ever imagine, but you're stronger than all of us. Don't give up without fighting for a better life because La knows that I won't. I want a better life, Zuko, and that life includes you." He tensed as her face was inches away from his. "Zuko, I'm fighting for you. Will you fight with me?"_

 _He closed his eyes and nodded, putting his head on her shoulder._

 _He woke up a couple weeks later with Katara's cool and healing body pressed against his. He sighed. He had come so far in the past weeks because of her. She slept in his tent to help him with his night terrors, constantly attending to him with patience and love. He pushed a strand of hair out of her face, loving the peaceful expression on her face when she slept. He was in love with her_ — _of that much he was certain. He knew that she didn't feel the same way, but just being her friend gave him the strength to get through each day._

 _He stood up, tucking his blankets around her, and exited his tent. Making his way to the fire at the center of camp, he gazed at the smattering of tents in the clearing. It was amazing to him how their little family of six had blossomed into a small rebel army of 50 in only a couple of months. New recruits were joining every week, and each one was giving him new hope._

 _He sat down by the fire, crossed legged and began his meditations. After an uncertain period of time, he felt his heart skip a beat, and quickly opened his eyes._

 _Katara was sitting across from him. He was paralyzed as he stared at her. Her hair was tousled and the early morning light kissed the top of her head. A cold blush sat on her cheeks, and wrapped around her was a wool blanket. She looked angelic, and Zuko found he did not have the words to speak to her at that moment._

 _"Can you get the fire started?"_

 _He nodded, and putting his hand over the smoldering embers, brought forth a warm flame._

 _She yawned sleepily, "Ever since you joined us, I've been waking up at dawn more and more."_

 _"Am I rubbing off on you?" he teased._

 _Her eyes danced—something, he noticed, she did when he seemed happy or at least content._

 _She smirked, "Maybe." After a moment, though, her face sobered. "How are you today though?"_

 _Zuko pondered this for a moment. He definitely wasn't happy. He hardly slept, and depression was stabbing him in the chest with a dull knife. He wasn't awful, though. He believed in the work that he was doing. Times spent with Katara were fun and made him eager. He found himself wondering about the future more, and as time went on, he found his future to be better._

 _One side of his mouth turned upward, "Hopeful."_

 _. . ._

A/N: This chapter was really hard to write, not gonna lie. I can't imagine what it would be like to undergo that type of torture, and I wanted to do justice to the pain that Zuko and Katara are feeling.

Also, sorry, for this really dark chapter around Christmas. Next chapter will be happier, I promise!

Please review!


	4. United

First of all, I'd like Sivisdivis, Ana-DaughterofHades, and guest for reviewing. You made my day! Also, don't get too spoiled with the frequent updates. I'm driving back home for the holidays, so I have a lot of travel time to work on this story.

P.S. This chapter is semi-M

. . .

"No, we need a majority of our troops if we are going stand any chance against the Dai Li." Katara was standing up now, staring her former teacher in the eye.

"Katara, let's not be rash about this. This is a huge attack, and it requires careful planning if it is to be successful." Pakku peered down at her, his tone patronizing as always.

"No!" she shouted. She was not backing down this time. "If we do not supply enough troops to help the underground resistance in Ba Sing Se, it would be a suicide mission. This is not rash, _Master_ Pakku, or have you forgotten the past month of deliberation on this topic?

"Have you forgotten that only a few short weeks ago, General Toph and I went on a mission to the Crystal Caverns under Ba Sing Se? Have you forgotten the price I paid for that mission?" She glared around the table. "This needs to be done. The comet is coming at the end of summer, and we need Ba Sing Se before Aang faces the Fire Lord! But I am not willing to take that victory at the expense of a suicide mission—"

"I was not proposing a suicide mission, my young pupil. If you will recall, I merely suggested sending a smaller group of less experienced troops to enter the city first before some more experienced—"

"Master Pakku, do you know why I was banished from the Fire Nation?" Katara's breath hitched as everyone at the table turned to look at Zuko.

"No, General, I don't believe I d—"

"When I was thirteen, I attended my first war council with my uncle. I was only there to observe, but one of the older generals proposed the same thing that you are. He, however, admitted that it would be suicide to send so many lower rank soldiers in to a dangerous battle without reinforcement." Katara cringed at his voice. It betrayed no emotion, but she knew how that day haunted him.

"I insulted the general, calling him dishonorable, but the men in the war room simply called me naïve. I was challenged to an Agni Kai that day where I faced—not the general—but my own father who branded me with a mark of shame."

Anger crept into his voice as he spoke. "I received this mark, so that men and women would not be sent to their deaths. I did not renounce my birth right, my family, and my nation, so that I could send more people to their deaths. I am here—we all are here—so that no more innocent people would have to die. If we are going to end this world, we have to do it with peace and honor." He looked over at her, her eyes expressing her love for him. "So, I stand with General Katara."

Iroh stood up. "Please, my friends, sleep on this. We will reconvene tomorrow morning to finalize plans for our attack."

Zuko immediately exited the chamber and headed down the hall to his room. Katara took her leave a moment later to follow him.

"Lady Katara?"

"Yes?" she turned to see one sergeant under Zuko's command. His name was Luzon if she remembered correctly.

"I apologize, my Lady, but I was wondering if you had any idea on when our regiment will be moving out. Some of our soldiers are going stir-crazy, being here."

"Actually, Sergeant Luzon, the council of generals will be finalizing plans tomorrow for a massive operation. I'm sure General Zuko will give you some more information tomorrow."

"Thank you, my lady, and thank you for remembering my name."

Luzon turned to leave, but Katara stopped him. "Sergeant, why do you call me lady?"

The soldier's face turned bright red. "Sorry, General. It will not happen again."

Katara was going to press the matter until she remembered Zuko. Her shoulders slumped, "Thank you, Sergeant."

When she opened the door to Zuko's—and, informally, her—room, she found him sitting on his bed with his bare back turned to her.

"Zuko?" He turned to her and sighed.

"Will it always be like this? A struggle between evil and good like this?"

She came up behind him and put her head on his shoulder, wrapping her hands around to rest on his chest. "Zuko, I have confidence in the future. Not because evil will be eradicated because you and I will always fight for what is right—what is honorable."

He turned his head to kiss her cheek. "I'm happy that you're feeling better these days."

She sighed. "I'm better when you're with me." Her heart raced as she turned his body to face her and pressed a slow and gentle kiss to his lips.

She fell back with him on to the bed and rolled on top of him. Kissing his face and neck. His hands made quick work of her tunic and her upper wrappings, kissing the skin as it was revealed. She moaned at the feel of his hot hands all over his body.

She kissed him on the lips again as he kicked off his pants and steam began to fill the air, as was prone to happen whenever they made love. The feel of his hips against hers was intoxicating. She reveled in his heat whenever he was inside her. He was a strong and passionate lover, but every touch was loving.

That was what she loved about Zuko. No matter how hard she tried, she could never doubt his love for her. Even what she was mad at him or his temper got the better of him, she could never truthfully say that he didn't love her. Even before he declared his love for her, she suspected she had always known. She was everything to him, and he was everything to her. She closed her eyes at the thought of the war ending. It was everything she had wanted since she was a child, but the thought of having to give up Zuko so he could be Fire Lord was suffocating. She had given up so much for this damn war, but could she give him up to ensure peace? Maybe if he became Fire Lord they could continue in secr—

She rolled flat on her back. "Zuko."

He smiled and placed a kiss on her shoulder. "Hm?"

"I think people know."

"Know what?" he continued to kiss her shoulder, moving his way up her neck.

"I think people know about us." The words came out of her mouth quickly and matter of fact.

His kisses stopped and he propped himself up on his arm to look at her in the eye. "What gave you that idea?"

"Zuko, your soldiers keep calling me 'Lady Katara.'"

"So? They call me 'Lord.' It's just Fire Nation protocol to call royalty by a formal title."

She shook her head. "But, Zuko, I'm not royalty. They bow and address me like I am, but I'm not."

"You're the daughter of a chief. It's probably where it comes from," he said, brushing the issue off.

"You don't understand. They don't call them Lord Sokka, Lady Toph, or Lady Suki. Zuko, they treat me like I am Fire Lady."

His eyes widened for a moment, and then he smiled.

"Zuko, what are you smiling about? This is serious."

"No, Katara, this is amazing. My people—Fire Nation citizens—are accepting you as the Fire Lady! This means that we can get married. We can stop sneaking around!"

"What about the rest of your people, Zuko? These are the rebels—a small minority of the population—who see me as their military commander, but the rest of your nation is never going to accept a waterbender in their palace."

"No, Katara. This needs to stop. The meeting today reminded me what I'm fighting for. I'm fighting so that the world will be at peace—so that the Fire Nation will no longer look down on the Water Tribe and Earth Kingdom. I am supposed to be an example for my people. If I openly love a waterbender, won't that show the world that all this racism needs to end?"

She looked down and closed her eyes. It would be a risk. They could either inspire others to put aside their prejudices or destroy his chance to be Fire Lord. Would it be worth it?

"Yes,"she said, not looking at him.

"So we can get married?" He sounded ecstatic.

She looked up at him, and with a small smile, she nodded. His face lit up, and she was soon enfolded within his arms. He showered her with kisses, murmuring words of love and devotion.

"Before the attack on Ba Sing Se?" he asked.

She nodded, "If we're going to inspire people with our marriage, I can't think of a better time. And, I would rather not tempt fate before the biggest battle we've faced."

He nodded solemnly, but his eyes danced with excitement. "We'll announce it at the meeting tomorrow."

She nodded and rested her head against his chest, closing her eyes.

"Wait, Katara?

"Hm?"

"Will you marry me?"

She laughed. "Yes, Zuko. I will marry you," her voice became quiet as she drifted off into content sleep.

 _"Come on, Zuko," Katara giggled, pulling him toward the center of the square._

 _He struggled against her grasp. He didn't want to be at this festival. While the rest of their rebel army was doing meaningful work, trying to take Gaoling back from the Fire Nation, he and Katara were stuck visiting an old fortuneteller in some remote village which just happened to be celebrating the autumnal equinox. He struggled until she flashed him a dazzling smile. "Fine," he relented, "but I won't like it."_

 _"You're impossible,"she shook her head, "It's okay if you're not good at dancing, just pretend like we're sparring and I'll do the rest."_

 _He smirked. If only she knew that he had been trained in classical dance for ten years in the Fire Nation. She affectionately straightened his tunic mask as they took position for the song._

 _As the tsungi horn began, Katara led him in a few basic steps. Her eyes seemed surprised as he did the steps effortlessly, but that expression was nothing compared to her shock when the dance picked up and his moves became more complex. He twirled her back and forth, picking her up, and pressing his body to hers. He saw the lust in her eyes grow with every step, his blood boiling at the thought of getting her back to their room._

 _On the final note of the song, Zuko dipped Katara in an impressive display of strength and flexibility. When an eruption of applause filled his ears, they looked up to see a crowd of villagers applauding them._

 _Zuko stepped away from Katara and sheepishly rubbed his neck. As the next song began, Aunt Wu scurried up to them. "Ah, Katara, you looked beautiful dancing with this_ powerful bender _here."_

 _A dark blush stained Katara's cheeks, but he was lost. "Katara?"_

 _"Oh, thank you, Aunt Wu. Zuko and I will be going now."_

 _"Okay, my child. Don't let your evening go waste now."_

 _Zuko smiled at Katara, and as soon as they lost sight of the square, he picked her up and carried her the rest of the way to the inn._

 _When they entered her room, they toppled down on the bed, their legs tangling in the sheets._

 _"Katara, what was that woman talking about back there?"_

 _She blushed again, "Oh, just a reference to a fortune she gave me years ago."_

 _"What about?"_

 _"Uh, just about the man I'm supposed to marry."_

 _"And who are you supposed to marry?"_

 _She blushed and hid a smile. "A powerful bender."_

 _"Hm, well, maybe I should remind you of how powerful of a bender I am." He smirked as she giggled._

 _"Yes, I think I've forgotten just how powerful you are."_

Iroh stood before the council. "As it stands, a majority of us are in favor of sending 90% of troops to Ba Sing Se at the start of Spring. General Aang's regiment will stay here since he is too valuable to us, but the rest of us will head out on the Vernal equinox. Are we in agreement?"

Most of the generals nodded their heads in agreement, and the matter was settled.

"Before we are all dismissed, I have an announcement." Zuko watched all the eyes in the room go to Katara. "This attack will be the biggest operation this army has ever encountered, so General Zuko and I have decided that we will get married before the invasion as inspiration for the troops."

The room was silent until Iroh shouted, "Finally!"

Then, everything turned to chaos.

"What do you mean 'married?'" "Is this really wise? What would your father say, Katara?" "When did this happen?" "I always knew it!" "What will the Fire Nation people say?"

Zuko put his hand up and silence filled the room. "Katara and I have discussed this at length, and we think that an interracial marriage between warring nations will set a model for peace."

"And hopefully, when Zuko ascends the throne, I will be able to influence the Fire population's opinion of the Water Tribe."

Iroh stood up, "Well, this is delightful news! Let us inform the troops of the plan as well as this happy union!"

As generals began bustling out of the room, Iroh ran to his nephew. "I had always suspected a deep connection between the two of you, but I would have never expected this so soon!"

He embraced his nephew and soon-to-be niece. "Soon?" Katara laughed, "This has been in the making for four years!"

Iroh beamed. "Four years? And to think you could have spent that time making grandchildren for me!"

Zuko blushed and glanced at Katara whose cheeks were bright red as well.

"Jerkbender!" Zuko sighed. That nickname was back again.

"So you think that you can use my sister to make a point about tolerance? Well, you thought wrong! My baby sister is not going to be your pawn!"

"Sokka!" Katara yelled. "I love him!"

Sokka gaped at her. "No, you don't. You've never been interested in boys."

Suki grabbed her husband's arm. "Sokka, she loves him. Trust me."

"You knew?" Sokka's eyes grew wide.

Suki just laughed, "How could I not? Every creature for a mile could hear them when we went back to rebuild Kyoshi!"

Sokka's blanched and looked at Zuko and Katara standing awkwardly apart from eachother. "You did—"

Iroh grabbed Sokka's shoulder. "My boy, you must learn to surrender when your battle is lost. Come, let us inform our soldiers of their duty."

The generals made their way out to their awaiting crowd of soldiers.

Sokka stood before the army with a mature strength, contrasting his behavior of minutes before. "Soldiers! We have assembled you to inform you of our plan to reconquer Ba Sing Se in the name of the Earth Kingdom people!" A cry went up across the crowd before Sokka continued. "On the vernal equinox, all of us, excluding Avatar Aang and his regiment, will head to Ba Sing Se to reconquer the city and expel the Dai Li from the city. With our strength and power, we will end the oppression of Ba Sing Se and get one step closer to ending this war! Officers, meet tomorrow with your generals for further instruction!"

Zuko then stepped up to face a multitude of faces. "In addition to the invasion of Ba Sing Se, I am proud to announce that on the eve of the equinox, General Katara and I will be married."

A loud cheer immediately rose from the crowd, and looking back at Katara, Zuko saw her laugh at their response.

When the cheer had died down, Zuko turned back to the crowd. "Although these next few weeks will be filled with excitement and anticipation, training for benders and nonbenders alike will increase dramatically. You are dismissed."

As the assembly dispersed, Katara was whisked away by Suki and Sokka, leaving Zuko with his grinning uncle.

"So, Uncle, you will be getting a niece soon." Zuko said grinning.

"No, Zuko, Katara will be my daughter as you are now my son." Iroh said.

Zuko embraced Iroh and wondered if he had ever been happier.

. . .

A/N I promised this one would be happier. Also, the flashback occurs a year before the present day. Thanks for reading and please review!


	5. Balanced

_Okay, so this chapter is going to be kind of a filler. I just feel like this story has been so fast paced. I wrote this story very impulsively with no idea of a coherent narrative, so now that I have a better feel for it, I may rewrite and slow the story down a bit._

 _Don't worry, though! You signed on for a Zutara story and I promise that you will always get a little glimpse through the flashbacks._

 _. . ._

"Aang?" Katara peered into his room and found the young monk throwing food to Momo.

He looked at her and looked down. "Hey."

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" She crossed the room to sit next to him on the bed.

He nodded and sat next to her. She opened his mouth to speak, but he spoke first. "Katara, I know you're here to apologize to me for not telling me about you and Zuko and for the fact that you never loved me like you love him." He looked at her pointedly, and she found she had no response.

"Don't, though. I knew."

"Wha—"

"Katara, really, did you think that no one ever noticed that you didn't sleep in your own bed? Besides, you two weren't very quiet." His voice sounded tired, yet his eyes betrayed amusement.

She was shocked. They knew? "How long did you..."

He shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe three years?"

"Aang, I'm so sorry that I didn't tell you."

He put a hand over hers. "Please, Katara, don't be. I've had three years to get over it. At first, I was so angry at Zuko. He had done so many bad things in the past, and I had done only good things, but he still got you. I did things to to try and break you two up. I fumed and cried, but one day, I came across the two of you talking. You were exhausted, telling him how trying to keep the group together was taking its toll on you. You said that I had become a handful recently, not to mention Toph and Sokka's fights once Suki rejoined the group. You had never sounded so sad, and then you said 'I just need to sit with you for a while and just be me.' I watched you two sit there for a while. Then, Zuko offered to talk to me and to take care of your chores that night."

Katara's face flooded with recognition. She never knew what had made Aang so upset, and suddenly, the past few years clicked together—every puzzling encounter made clear.

"Zuko found me and told me about what it meant to be an adult. He was kinder and gentler than he had ever been. He seemed almost like you. After he left, I realized why you loved him. He didn't 'have' you, and he wasn't your responsibility. I realized how selfish I had been. And I let you go."

Katara bowed her head, "Thank you, Aang. You are a good friend."

"Can you tell me one thing though? Why did you keep it secret for so long?"

Katara looked away sadly. She was going to tell him all the logical reasons why they couldn't be together but decided against it. She sighed, "I was scared. I think I was desperately afraid that one day someone would kill Zuko to get to me, but..." She trailed off, gaining strength from deep inside of her. "We're stronger together than apart. I'm determined to end the hatred of the past hundred years, and staying apart because of our nationalities would be letting hate win. I just—"

Tears flowed freely down her face and Aang hugged her to his chest. She was tired of hiding for the sake of prejudice—tired of this war. But, life went on. She stopped letting the war control her life. She felt victorious and strong.

After a while, her tears subsided, and she hugged her friend. He smiled down at her, "I'm glad that you have him. I love you both so much."

She wiped her eyes. "Thank you, Aang. You don't know how much that means to me."

Blowing her nose, she stood up to leave. "Oh, and, Katara?"

"Yeah?"

"You're father is arriving tomorrow," he said with a mischievous grin.

Her eyes widened. Zuko was going to go crazy.

. . .

"FASTER!"

Zuko sighed as dozens of recruits flew past him, firing blasts in the air.

They weren't ready for this kind of challenge. Most of these firebenders were deserters whose only experience in combat was in service of Ozai's army. Their basic training was lacking in true firebending instruction and focused on following orders and burning down villages. When it came to true combat and the true source of firebending, very few seemed to show any knowledge. Zuko's apprehension grew as he watched these firebenders do exercises. He was training with them up to ten hours a day yet they still did not have the power to defeat the elite skill of the Dai Li. Their rebel army barely out numbered the pro-Ozai forces around Ba Sing Se, and although passionate, their rebel army lacked unity.

Zuko had watched how his regiment interacted with the others. Although most rebel soldiers tended to be generally open-minded, Fire Nation soldiers rarely interacted with their water and earth comrades and vice-versa. Even between the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribe soldiers, friendship wasn't flourishing. Zuko shook his head. This battle needed to be the turning point in the war. They needed to wow the world with their skill and gain widespread support, but looking at the amateur benders before him, he felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

He observed his trainees closely. Their movements were choppy and disconnected, and they lacked power and grounding in their movements. _What if—_

"STOP!" Zuko straightened himself as a hundred eyes turned to him.

His voice was commanding and devoid of condescension. "I need you all to understand the importance of this invasion. This is our opportunity to show Ozai that we, as daughters and sons of the Fire Nation, are not going to stand for the dishonor that he has brought to our nation and to the world."

Their faces became serious as he spoke.

"You all—like I did once—see fire as something to burn to control, but that is not the way of fire. Fire is light and energy, and that light and energy is kept in balance by the other elements. You all have been incorrectly trained in firebending. You want to create fire rather than let the fire create itself. Fire is difficult to understand, but to truly understand it, you must understand it in the context of the other elements.

He produced a small flame in his hand. "Fire is not solid. It flickers and changes with the air. So must you change with the air."

Zuko silently and quickly spun to the other side of the hall encircling himself in flame as he moved. "You need to be quick and light. That being said, you also must be strong like the earth."

He planted himself firmly in the ground and punched fireballs in the air. "And even when you are quick and light like the air, you have to keep a strong core of earth within you," he said flipping in the air before landing firmly on his hands and kicking jets of fire into the air.

"Water is our natural opposite," he said with a twinkle in his eye. "but can become the most powerful when combined with fire." He conjured two fire whips that extended across the training hall moving back and forth like Tui and La.

"Water is adaptable, and a good Firebender must be as well." He moved to stand in front of his trainees with a single white flame in his hand. "Fire is nothing without air, earth, or water, and to truly bend fire, you must understand its essence..."

"You are dismissed."

The benders saluted Zuko as they exited. Nodding to them, he moved to meditate in the middle of the hall.

He suddenly felt a pair of arms encircle him from behind. "That was some lesson."

He smirked and leaned into her embrace. "You've become stealthier. I didn't even hear you approach."

"Well, after spending four years with someone, you begin to acquire some of their traits." She hung her head over his shoulder and rubbed her hands against his chest. "You're tense."

He bowed his head and turned to face her. "They aren't ready for this, and we only have three weeks left."

She pushed his hair out of his eyes and tilted his head to face her. "We'll be ready. We just have to change our methods."

"The four elements!" She looked at him quizzically.

"Zuko, what are you talking about?"

He grabbed her shoulders gently and kissed her. "We need to mix regiments, Katara. Just like us!"

She laughed lightly and shook her head, "I still don't understand—"

"The thing we need most is unity, yet there are clearly three distinct sects of our army. Like I said today to my firebenders, we need the other elements to support our own bending. What if we mixed ranks and created new regiments—each composed of fire, water, earth, and non-benders."

"They would still need time to train with their own element."

"Of course, but I could hardly conjure a fire ball before I met you. I learned so much from you, Toph, Aang, and Sokka. If we spend part of our days training separately and the other part training together, that could give our soldiers the advantage they need to defeat the Dai Li and Ozai's forces in Ba Sing Se."

She smiled. "Zuko, I think you just won us a battle."

. . .

When Zuko proposed his plan to the other members of the Gaang, they were overjoyed.

"Wow, Sparky, you have brains! Who knew?" Katara saw Zuko roll his eyes at Toph, but he felt more energetic than he had in months.

"Seriously, Zuko, this is amazing!" Suki exclaimed putting a hand on his shoulder. "I've felt like something was missing all these months. Like something wasn't clicking, but I really think that this is what we've been waiting for."

Sokka sighed, "I have to say, Jerkbender. Even though you'll never be good enough for my sister, you sure make a good leader."

Katara beamed with pride. Her lover—her soon-to-be husband—was going to change the world. He had come so far from the awkward and unsure boy to a wise leader.

 _Katara blushed as he took his shirt off. He had only been with them for a couple of weeks, and she was most definitely not used to having a sixteen year old boy around. She was slightly intimidated by his attractiveness. His jaw was strong, cheek bones chiseled_ — _as was every other part of his._

 _She wouldn't have been able to talk to him if it wasn't for his natural awkwardness that made him so endearing. It was hard to believe that he was the same boy who had smugly tied her to a tree. The thought of him doing that now made her shiver._

 _"Ready?" he asked, gesturing to the sky. Just before dusk. When neither of them had too great an advantage over the other._

 _Katara nodded, not trusting her voice to stay steady when he was standing that close to her._

 _He sent the first blast at her which she quickly blocked with a water wall. He sent jets of fire at her which she countered with water whips. She felt her power grow as the sun slowly descended behind the horizon. Her actions become bold and moved closer to him, knowing how nervous he got with close contact. Razor-thin ice daggers shot at him, one grazing his hip._

 _Katara's breath hitched as she watched one side of his pants rip slightly so they hanged dangerously low on his hips. The steam in the air gave his skin a light sheen of water, so she could feel every plane of his body without touching him. Distracted momentarily, Zuko hit her with a blast, sending her backward._

 _"Katara!" he cried._

 _She wasn't badly hurt, but her tailbone ached_ — _most likely bruised. Zuko rushed over to her. He poked and prodded for injuries. Katara bit the inside of her cheek. How could he not know what this was doing to her?_

 _"Zuko, please, I'm fine. I just got distracted."_

 _"By what?"_

 _She blushed brightly, but he didn't press the matter._

 _"Are you hurt anywhere? What hurts? I can use firebending to reduce swelling."_

 _She smirked. "You really wanna know?"_

 _"Yes, please. Where are you hurt? I can help."_

 _"My ass," she grinned wickedly as his face turned red and he scooted away, mumbling apologies._

 _She laughed. Katara was lucky that he wasn't so suave, or else the temptation to kiss him at that moment would have been too much. She patted his cheek affectionately and pushed herself up._

 _"Come on, Zuko. Let's go back, and you can help me with my chores."_

 _"Okay."_

La, how he had changed! She looked over to see him send her a crooked smile.

Aang smiled, "Okay, now we just need to divide the groups. Sokka! Any ideas?"

"Well, since you asked..."

After they had created new training regiments, they moved to the mess hall where Zuko announced the new training schedules. When most of them didn't seem as excited, she saw his shoulders slump. Aang seemed to mollify him by spouting off some Avatar knowledge.

Standing on a table, Aang proclaimed, "We are moving forward with a new era of peace and balance. In the next three weeks we will unify ourselves in training. Then, we will unify ourselves with a wedding. Then, we will unify the Earth Kingdom by taking back Ba Sing Se!"

The rebels let out a maddening war cry.

"That sounds like some plan."

Katara turned around to see her father, standing proudly. "Dad!" she and Sokka rushed into his arms. "We weren't expecting you until tomorrow!"

"The tides seemed to favor me, I guess. Now what's this about new training and a wedding?" He smiled brightly.

Katara froze and glanced at Zuko. He nodded and moved toward the door. "Uh, Dad, there's actually something that I need to talk to you about...in private."

She led her father to the general's room where Zuko was waiting. "Katara, why is Zuko here?"

"Please, take a seat, Dad."

"You're worrying me, honey."

She sat down next to Zuko, placing her hand on top of his. "It's nothing to worry about. Honestly."

She watched her father as he stared at her and Zuko's hands. "Dad, I am in love with Zuko. We have been in love for a long time without the hope of ever being able to get married. We were so afraid for so long, but in after a recent war meeting, we decided that if we wanted things to change for others around the world, we needed to take the first step."

Hakoda displayed no emotion as he listened.

"We are getting married the night before we leave to invade Ba Sing Se to show the world that we are more powerful with each other than without."

Her father made no move to speak.

"Chief Hakoda, sir. I love your daughter more than anything in this world, and I will protect her with my life if necessary."

His eyes went to Zuko, and she went cold.

"And you did not think to ask for permission before asking her to marry you?"

"No, sir, I didn't."

She winced.

"I did not ask permission because I'm not stealing her or taking her. She is not a possession to be given from you to me. Her decision was all I needed. So, sir, I will not ask for your permission, but your blessing."

Hakoda smiled. "Then, I will give my blessing and more."

Katara ran and hugged her father. "Thank you! Thank you!"

"Now, General Zuko, if you don't mind, I'd like a private word with my daughter."

Zuko smiled, "Of course."

Katara squeezed his hand gently before he shut the door.

"You're really sure you want to do this, Katara?"

Katara sat down and ran a hand through her hair. "Dad, we're both so broken. We've both seen destruction and hate and torture, but he wakes me from my nightmares."

He stroked her cheek gently. "Oh, Katara."

"Did you ever hear what happened when the two of us ran into Azula about six months after he joined us?"

Hakoda shook his head.

"Azula was insane. She was shooting lightning everywhere, and Zuko was trying to redirect it all. Then, suddenly, she aimed for me. Zuko didn't have time to redirect it, so he took a fatal blow for me." Katara felt tears tickling her cheeks, but she didn't care. "He barely survived, Dad. He has this giant scar on his chest because of me..."

Neither of them said anything for a few moments.

"Then, I owe him my life," he said finally, taking his daughter's hands. "I couldn't part with you for anyone less worthy."

. . .

 _A/N: Anyone get that final reference?_

 _Yeah, so next chapter will be wedding preparations, a messenger from the Fire Nation, and the new training program. We'll get to hear a bit from some of the Fire Nation soldiers._

Please review!


	6. Value

_Hello, all! Sorry for the long delay. The life of an actor is hard and time consuming, but I'm back right now!_

 _A little recap. It's five years since Aang woke up. Zuko joined the Gaang in Ba Sing Se, and he and Katara have been lovers for 4 years. They are about to get married right before they invade Ba Sing Se. Zuko just figured out a revolutionary new way to train their benders, and Hakoda just gave his blessing to Katara and Zuko's marriage._

* * *

With a swipe of her hand, Katara wiped the sweat off of her brow. Their soldiers were truly making progress. She watched as Yuki, one of her waterbenders, used his legs to shoot ice at Shena, one of Zuko's most skilled benders. Shena jumped and evaporated Yuki's ice, and created a spinning ball of fire on which she circled to Yuki's other side. Suddenly, a wave of rock came over Yuki and Shena, cuffing them to the ground. Katara loved watching their innovative ways of incorporating the other elements in to waterbending. She still felt as if the benders lacked a certain fluidity when they sparred though. They still weren't responding to their fellow benders as well as the should have.

She looked over at Zuko. He was staring intently at the sparring matches in the arena. He sighed. She had a suspicion that she knew what was bothering him. She made her way over to him.

"Are you seeing what I'm seeing?"

He smirked. "Yeah. I can't put my finger on it though."

Winking at Zuko, she stepped up on a platform. "ATTENTION!"

A hundred soldiers stood to face Katara. "Excellent work this week, but you all still lack a certain fluidity in your attacks. For instance, when an earthbender comes at you with a solid offense, you also must be solid in your defense. This requires sharp reflexes and intuition, but nothing will give you an edge over the Dai Li and the Fire Nation soldiers.

"It's almost like a dance," she indicated for the trainees to clear the space. "Zuko?"

Zuko smirked, took his shirt off, and moved to the center of the arena with Katara. They bowed to eachother, and almost immediately Zuko sent a fire whip at her. She circled his whip with a whip of her own, dissipating into the air. Without a second's delay, Katara sent a thousand ice daggers at Zuko. A moment before the daggers touched him, he punched his fist in the air, leaving the hiss of scene in the world.

Suddenly, Zuko started walking toward Katara, blasting fire balls at him. Walking backward, she sent balls of water at him before charging at him. He flipped over her creating an inferno that she swallowed in an enormous wave.

As she spun to gather more water from the air, Zuko grabbed one of her hands, and she spun toward him. She grabbed his other hand and pulled them close to eachother. With the flick of a finger, she began encasing them in water. Spinning them around, Zuko heated them until their watery cage had turned into steam, filing the air. Pressed against each other they used their feet and heads to attack eachother, water and fire attacked eachother in the air until Zuko spun Katara around. Immediately, Katara hooked her foot around Zuko's knee, sending him to the ground, and standing over him triumphantly.

They all erupted into applause. Out of the corner of Katara's eye, she saw Zuko smirk. She offered him a hand, and he whispered in her ear, "I'll get you back for that _later_."

He quickly distanced himself from Katara and stole a glance at her face. Composing herself, Katara turned to the troops.

"Don't be afraid to fight close range. Most benders are uncomfortable with fighting up close, but after a fight with General Suki, I realized that nonbenders can exploit that disadvantage to attack you.

"Now, head to the mess hall. After dinner, meet in your regular training regiments. You are dismissed."

She turned to Zuko. He smirked, "That was a dirty trick you pulled back there."

"All is fair in love and war, and in our case, we have both."

"You little—"

"Lady Katara?"

The pair turned to see Shena and Yuki standing at attention.

"Yes, Shena?" Katara smiled.

Shena turned to Yuki, nodding to him. "Master Katara, I was wondering if Shena could sit in on our waterbending training today."

"I promise that I will do extra firebending training, my Lord. I just can't get the waterbending hip movements down, and it's restricting my range of motion in countering attacks."

Zuko put his hand up. "Don't worry, Shena. You're a good soldier, and I trust you to train according to your needs.

"Actually, Shena, I am very impressed with your initiative, and your ability to spot your own weaknesses. That's why I'm promoting you to Commander."

"Thank you, my Lord, my Lady!" Shena exclaimed, taking Yuki by the hand and running out the door.

"Oh, and Shena!"

"Yes, Lady Katara?"

"When we're in military capacity, it Master Katara."

Shena nodded and bolted out of the arena.

"Is it so bad to be called Fire Lady?" Zuko teased.

Katara shook her head, "I'm just a little overwhelmed by all the duties that come with it. I know I want to marry you, Zuko, but I've lived in this war-torn world for so long. I can't imagine living in a palace with you, and carrying out all these responsibilities that a Fire Lady is supposed to do.

"Hell, what does a Fire Lady even do?"

Zuko smiled. "Well, it depends on the Fire Lord, and how involved he wants his spouse to be. I, luckily, have the most competent Fire Lady in the world at my disposal in which case you would manage all social policy within the Fire Nation and do diplomacy work too."

Katara's eyes brightened. All she wanted was to change the world, and now it seemed that she would have the free reign to do so.

"Oh, and you have to produce at least two heirs," Zuko said, rubbing his neck.

 _Zuko was standing over her when she woke up. "Katara? Katara?"_

 _She moaned and put her hand to her head. "What happened?"_

 _"You collapsed back there. I think you may be dehydrated. Here," he said, handing her a canteen._

 _Taking a sip, she remembered what had happened before her collapse and began to bite the inside of her cheek. Oh, La, she had to tell him._

 _"Zuko?"_

 _He stroked her hair tenderly, "Hm?"_

 _"I... I..." tears began to well in her eyes, and she bit back a sob._

 _"Katara?" Concern riddled his voice. "What's wrong?"_

 _"Zuko, I think I'm pregnant," she whispered._

 _Her heart stopped when his face became emotionless. He just stared at her._

 _"Zuko, please say something."_

 _He shook himself out of his trance. "Okay, okay. I know this isn't the right time, but we'll figure this out. We can get married, and you can take a few months from working on the rebel cause. We'll maybe bring the baby to Kyoshi or the South Pole, or somewhere where it will be safe until_ _—"_

 _"Stop! Zuko, what are you saying? We can't do that. We have to end this war, and having a child out of wedlock with a waterbender could destroy your claim to the throne. The comet is almost two years away, and we can't spend most of it away from our troops..."_

 _"What are you saying exactly?" he said in a dark, fragile voice._

 _"We need to end this pregnancy."_

 _"No, Katara, no. It's too dangerous, and I_ — _I_ —" _he took a breath. "I can't be my father, Katara. I don't ever want to be a man who puts war over the people he loves._

 _"I want to marry you, Katara. I want you to have my children and be my partner in everything I do."_

 _Katara burst in to sobs. "I can't. I just can't," and ran from the room._

 _Breathing heavily, Zuko punched the stone wall until his fingers bled._

Katara took a breath. "Nothing would make me happier that having a couple of mini-Zuko's running around."

He leaned in to her and kissed her temple. "What made you change your mind?"

She gave him a puzzled look.

"Why did you change your mind about marriage, children—the whole thing?"

She pulled away from him and cupped his scarred cheek. "When I was in prison, every cut and strike reminded me of a regret I had. Regretting to save Jet in Ba Sing Se, regretting not saving a dying Fire Nation soldier... But most of my regrets were that I never would be able to marry you and be a mother and grow old with you."

A gentle tear fell from her eye onto Zuko's chest.

He said nothing, but simply held her to him.

After a moment, he took her by the hand and led her to the mess hall.

As soon as they entered, Suki accosted Katara. "You two lovebirds have had enough time to yourselves. I'm stealing the bride now for some wedding talk."

Katara shrugged to Zuko and allowed Suki to pull her away.

* * *

Zuko made his way over to where Sokka, Aang, and Toph were sitting.

"So, Sparky, I heard that you and Sugar Queen basically screwed on the training floor today?"

"WHAT?" Sokka jumped over the table to grab Zuko's collar.

Zuko put his arms up. "Hey, all we did was spar, but things got... a little steamy. _Literally._ "

Sokka put his hands over his ears. "I don't want to hear it."

"But actually, I wanted to talk to you guys."

"You name it, Sparky," Aang chirped.

"Well, as you know, Katara and I are getting married, and..."

"Spirits, Sparky, spit it out!"

"We'd like you guys to be with us, up there, when we tie the knot."

They all burst into laughter, and Zuko was confused.

Sokka laughed, "Of course, we were gonna be up there with you guys. We're your best friends!"

"The Gaang's gonna be reunited!" Aang hollered.

* * *

"Suki, it's..."

"Beautiful? I know."

Draped on Suki's bed was a blue silk kimono with a white obi, embroidered with silver waves. Next to the dress, laid a crown of ice lilies, and a ring of pearls.

"How did you get the ice lilies?"

"I sent a hawk to some of the women in you dad's fleet that were coming in. Nini has been coming here everyday to re-freeze them."

"Oh, Suki! You're the greatest sister—"

"Sorry to interrupt, Generals, but an isolated group of Fire Nation soldiers has wandered on to the western side of the mountain."

"Thank you, Shena."

Katara bolted down the hall to her and Zuko's room.

* * *

Zuko looked up to see Katara bursting into the room. He smirked and threw her a wad of black clothing.

She laughed, pulling on her clothes, "You know me so well."

They ran to the base entrance to see Toph waiting for them. "You two ready to kick some ass?"

"You know it," Katara whispered.

Silent as panthers, the trio made their way around the mountain.

"I feel them about thirty feet to our right," Toph whispered. "Zuko you go around to the other side of them. I'll stay here. Katara, go uphill of them. Zuko, when you give the signal of a blue flame, we all strike."

Katara and Zuko nodded and moved to their respective spots.

"...I heard that they captured the Water Witch the last time the rebels got in."

"Last week, I heard some colony trash singing some song about 'The Blue Eyed Lady of the Fire Nation.'"

The next thing Zuko heard was too quiet to hear, "...talking about that traitor Zuko taking the throne and putting a Water Tribe bitch in the palace."

"...mainly in the colonies, but I keep hearing more traitorous talk in the Caldera and in..."

"At this point, I don't really care who has the throne. I just wanna go home."

"Shut up, Xi. People hear you talk like that, and you'll get hanged."

After the four men quieted, Zuko produced a brilliant blue flame.

"What was—"

Zuko watched as Katara and Toph threw ice and rock at the soldiers. Zuko deflected every fire ball they threw at them.

"Xi, we're being attacked. Grab the—"

Suddenly, Zuko heard something hit the ground. In a moment, there was an explosion, and a blood-curdling scream. Suddenly, there was a crack, and Zuko illuminated the scene before him. The four soldiers were encapsulated in ice with rock binding their legs and arms. Katara was on her knees, her clothing in shreds, and body covered in soot.

Zuko ran over to Katara. "Zuko, you and Katara stay together. I'll take these scum to the hold."

With that, Toph created a hole in the ground and shot down into the Earth with their prisoners.

Zuko looked at Katara. Katara looked up at him, betraying no emotion. "What happened, Katara?"

"They threw this thing," she picked up a small metallic ball with a few dents.

He was concerned by her attitude, and began probing her for injury.

"Zuko, I'm fine. I just want to go back to base."

He started to pick her up, but she stopped him. "I can walk just fine Zuko."

When they entered the base, she drew five hundred pairs of eyes, but she just continued walking. Zuko addressed the crowds, "She's fine. We just had a brush with some Fire Nation soldiers. General Toph has them in custody. Goodnight."

Zuko followed Katara back to their room. When he entered, she was already sitting in the small wooden tub in the corner of their room.

He watched silently from behind as she took a knife and sliced strands of charred hair into the tub. When she finished, she dropped the knife on the ground, dropped her head against the side of the tub, and let out a muffled sob.

 _He watched as she leaned her head against the tree and her body shook with sobs._

 _Coming around to sit next to her, he noticed that her hands were bloody._

 _"My red moon came today. I'm not pregnant."_

 _He didn't know what to say, so he just nodded._

 _"The funny thing is that, as much chaos and pain our baby would have been born into, I wanted it. I wanted a piece of both of us. I wanted for us to get married and have a baby and just be normal_ — _not fighting all the time. No more..."_

 _"Katara, we still could get married, and after the war_ — _"_

 _"After the war? I can't even imagine that right now. Zuko, please. Let's wait until after the war, but until then let's keep us a secret."_

 _He shut his eyes and nodded. "Okay, but please, when the time comes, remember that this is worth fighting for."_

 _She fell against him and whispered, "We are worth fighting for."_

"I hate this damned war. I hate it..."

Zuko didn't know how to respond. He walked over to Katara, and kneeled next to her head.

"Katara, are you sure you aren't hurt?"

"That's just it! I'm not hurt. I get wounded. I get my hair burned off, and that's it. This is not how it's supposed to be! All I feel is anger—anger that I don't feel anything..."

Without a word, he grabbed a towel and picked her up out of the tub. Carrying her to their bed, he cradled her in his warm arms, stoking her now shoulder length hair until she fell asleep.

* * *

 _This was dark, but I like this chapter. I hope it makes up for the wait._

 _Please, review!_


	7. Resist

Eek! Sorry about the 11 month wait folks, but getting a degree takes a lot of time. Anyway, thank you to all of you who followed and favorited. Now here goes!

* * *

"Lizera, you're from the colonies, correct?"

"Yes, my Lord," the girl blushed. "Thank you for remembering."

"And, when did you join the army?"

"Just a couple months ago, Sir," Lizera looked slightly off put by the questioning.

Zuko smiled softly, "You're not in trouble, Private. I'm simply curious about a song called 'Blue Eyed Lady of the Fire Nation.' Have you heard of it?"

She smiled and nodded, "Oh, yes! That song became an anthem for the underground resistance movement back in my hometown."

Zuko's face looked surprised. An anthem? How had he not heard of this.

She continued, "I heard from someone that when the underground resistance originated in Jang Hui, a man named Shu would sing this song to give the people hope. He wanted them to remember their victory at the nearby artillery factory and remember that there were people, elsewhere in the world fighting for them - with blue eyes."

Zuko did not fail to recognize the significance of this. "Lizera, do you know anything else about the song?"

"According to the song, the blue eyed woman makes the waves churn, washing the ashes away and bringing new life. It's said that she is an instrument of the Painted Lady and is a friend to all the elements.

"The song spread like wildfire, and we began using it as a form of communication."

Zuko's eyes twinkled, "Lizera, could you sing the whole song?"

She shook her head, "I"m not much of a singer, my Lord, but I could write it down for you if you wanted."

He smiled, "That would be wonderful. Thank you."

He turned to leave, but her words stopped them. "My Lord?"

"Hm?"

"I hope you know that us Fire Nation in the resistance are proud to call Lady Katara their Fire Lady."

Zuko nodded his head, "Thank you, Lizera. I truly appreciate it."

 _"Katara, I'm not letting your go out there!"_

 _"Well, I can't just sit around doing nothing while people are dying!"_

 _"You did so much good just healing people! Can't you just keep doing that?"_

 _"Nothing's going to change as long as that factory's around."_

 _"It's too dangerous. I'm not letting you die over some factory!"_

 _She smiled and extended her hand, "Then come with me."_

When Zako entered his chamber, Katara was lying face down on the bed, exhausted. "Explain to me again why I let you talk me into training this many non-waterbenders in advanced waterbending strategies?"

He smiled, took his shirt off, and lied down next to her. "I don't know. Why did you let me?"

She rolled over and kissed him. "You stink."

He kissed her back. "So do you."

In a sudden movement, he picked her up off the bed and brought her to the adjoining bathroom. With the swoop of her hand, the bathtub filled with water. Zuko then grazed his hand over the surface and a waft of steam rose from the water. They quickly stripped and hopped in the water.

They relished in the relaxing bath. Zuko, sensing the perfect moment, began to hum.

Katara closed her eyes blissfully. "Please sing. You know I love it when you sing."

In a soft, gentle baritone, Zuko began.

 _A strong wind blew her from the far South,_

 _A lady with brilliant sapphire eyes_

 _The ground rose to meet her,_

 _The moon smiled upon her,_

 _And weakened fire blossomed under her care._

 _She came to a town called Juang Hui just along the river,_

 _And with her stealthy black shadow,_

 _She came to stop the evil,_

 _Some call her the Painted Lady, but I know better._

 _She's the blue-eyed lady of the Fire Nation._

She laughed, "Zuko, I didn't know you wrote music! Why the hell haven't you never told me?"

Zuko smiled. "I didn't write that." She looked at him skeptically. "It's the anthem of the Fire Nation underground resistance."

"I find it very hard to believe that the underground resistance is so organized they have an anthem."

"But they do! Katara! A couple of days ago when we were capturing those soldiers on the side of the mountain. I heard them talking. They talked about resistance throughout the colonies and even in the Caldera. The soldiers talked about me and how I wanted to put a waterbender on the throne!"

"Wait they new about that? Zuko, this could compromise our plans."

"Not if you're the face of the Fire Nation resistance."

She looked reluctant, but she suddenly sat up, startling Zuko. "I have to go to Juang Hui."

"That is where one of my privates said the biggest strain of the resistance started."

"Maybe if I go to Juang Hui, the battle of Ba Sing Se could be more than just a local uprising. We could extend it to anywhere where there is significant resistance."

"And I'll go with you naturally."

She laughed, "Of course, what would I do without my 'stealthy black shadow?'"

"So we'll present it at the war meeting tonight?" Zuko asked excitedly. As he always did when he felt there was a military breakthrough.

Katara nodded, "Yes! But, first…" She floated over to him and kissed him languidly, causing the water to bubble.

* * *

"This is idiotic! We can't compromise our position like this! We do not know how loyal these resistors actually are actually are, and I don't want to take the chance that they'll expose our plans!"

"I agree with Arnook's delegate. If Fire Nation soldier's found out about you and General Zuko's relationship from the resistance. How can we trust them with battle plans?"

Katara sighed. "I don't plan to tell them about our plans in Ba Sing Se, but if we can get enough of a widespread army, especially in the colonies where the Fire Nation's authority is the weakest, it would prevent the Fire Nation and Dai Li from sending in reinforcements to Ba Sing Se, and we might be able to gain more territory in critical Fire Nation holdings."

Although the Fire Nation delegation seemed convinced, some delegates from the Earth Kingdom and Northern Water Tribes were still holding out.

"We could also send members of our army from the Fire Nation colonies to oversee this and report back to us," Zuko added, looking at Katara across the table.

Iroh put his hand down on the table, "Well, I'm convinced! Let's put it to a vote!"

Katara looked at Zuko mortified. She turned to Iron, "Uncle, I'm not so sure that is a good idea right now."

"Of course, it is, my dear! Anyone who understands battle at all knows that this is a brilliant strategy, and I doubt that anyone would underestimate your talents, Katara. After all, you were one of the founders of this army, and the most senior commander at this table, after Aang."

She looked around the table, trying to hide her smile. Iroh was certainly proving to be a good manipulator. "Okay," she said, "Let's put it to a vote."

Iroh looked around, "All those in favor of the plan say 'Aye.'"

About 14 of the 20 people at the table voted in favor.

"All those opposed say 'Nay.'"

Just six people from the Northern Tribes and Earth Kingdom said no.

Iroh giggled. "And they 'aye's' have it!"

Zuko looked at Katara in disbelief, and she giggled at his reaction. Zuko stood up, "Well, I suppose that's all for tonight. Katara and I will leave tomorrow morning with a delegation of people from the colonies."

* * *

Zuko looked out over the water, seeing Juang Hui in the distance "I never thought we would go back here."

Katara looked over at him. "Why? You never wanted to see me as the Painted Lady again?"

He chuckled, "No, I just always see Juang Hui as a turning point for me."

"What do you mean?"

"I think that deciding to come with you was a big step for me, but until then, I hadn't done anything to actually counter my father's war effort. It had been a long time since I had done something that wasn't selfish, and I did that with you back there."

She looked toward the small town, "I never knew that."

He smiled and took her hand, "That's also where I started to fall in love with you."

 _"Zuko, hurry! The guards are coming!"_

 _She saw Zuko behind her and pulled him into the small space. She looked up and saw Zuko, not more than an inch away from her face. He was looking up at the ceiling. She felt like the whole world could hear her heartbeat, as she stood there pressed flush against him. She was afraid the guards would hear the blood pounding through her body._

 _She pushed herself up on her toes, uncomfortable rubbing against Zuko's chest until she was able to put her lips next to his ear. "There's a vent above us. We need to get out of here immediately. Can you push me up through the vent?"_

 _She shivered as Zuko put his lips next to her ear. "Yes. Then, help me up, and I'll try to provide a light."_

 _Zuko pulled her to him and pushed her up to the vent. When she made it up. She put out a hand for Zuko, and he pulled himself up there with her. She motioned for him to go in front of her with the light and whispered, "Follow me. I'll guide us toward the moon and the river."_

 _She guided Zuko from behind and in a few minutes they had reached the roof of the factory, and were overlooking the water. She looked to him and sighed, knowing she would sound crazy. "Do you trust me, Zuko?"_

 _He didn't hesitate. "Always."_

 _She took his hand, "Then, on the count of three, jump. One, two, three!"_

 _They jumped together into the water, but before they hit the water, Katara made bubble around them and submerged them in the river. She looked over at Zuko who was completely disoriented and laughed. "We're underwater, Zuko."_

 _"How are you doing this? This is amazing!" He looked around with wide eyes as they walked across the river. "We're under the city."_

 _Giggling, she nodded._

 _When they got up to the surface, Katara turned toward him to find him already looking at her. When she saw the expression on his face, her smile dropped. "Zuko, what's wrong?"_

 _He shook his head once. "Thank you," he said, betraying no emotion._

 _"I should be thanking you," she put a hand up to his cheek. "You were the one helping me, so…" She trailed off. "Thank you for believing in me."_

 _He dropped his head, and she noticed an imperceptible smile gracing his face._

 _"Zuko, sometimes I feel like you're my only friend." She couldn't believe she just said that._

 _Zuko looked even more surprised. "What are you talking about Katara? You have so many friends."_

 _"You're the only person who I don't have to take care of. You had my back, back there, and I owe you one."_

 _Suddenly, she was in Zuko's arms, and he was squeezing her tight. It took her a moment before she put her arms around him too, and she swore she heard him say, "You take care of me more than you know."_

* * *

I hope you all enjoyed! I'll hopefully be able to write more soon! Please review!


	8. Identity

_I wasn't exactly pleased with that chapter, so hopefully this one will be better, now that I'm back in the groove. Thank you to shividis for your kind words!_

...

Katara was happy they were arriving at night. Trying to disguise two of the most wanted faces in the world proved to be a more difficult task than expected, and much to Katara's chagrin, Zuko was not the world's best actor. She knew that the night would grant them the most success. Not only was Katara at her most powerful at night, but Zuko was his most confident in the dark. He could hide his scar from the world—his identity. The identity which caused him so much pain could slip away for just a few hours, so that he could embrace the intelligent, kind man who was obscured by his name and face.

Katara took his and brought it to her lips. His head turned toward her in the dark, and she could feel his surprised look.

She didn't care if her affection was random. The war had jaded her, and so much of the optimism and hope that she once possessed had drifted away. There were times with Zuko when she felt like a child—innocent and unscathed. He represented everything that she thought the world needed: modesty, growth, kindness, strength, and resilience. In those moments, she had to hold onto him to hold onto her humanity even in their inhumane situation.

As if he could hear her thoughts, he reciprocated her action, bringing their clasped hands to his face and pressing the gentlest kiss to her palm. The moment passed quickly, and the faint lights of Juang Hui reminded Katara of what they were there for—war.

Hiding beneath the dock, Katara noticed a marked difference from the Juang Hui she left almost four years ago. The weapons factory on the east side of the river still looked dormant, but the town had grown. Buildings were taller, creating an eclectic mix of modern and old buildings. Fire Nation banners hung from every street corner. In the dark, she could see several Fire Nation soldiers patrolling the city.

"Why are there so many soldiers if the factory isn't operating?" Zuko whispered.

"It looks like there are more than there were last time we were here." Katara looked around for something familiar, and pointed to a dimly lit alley. "I think that's how we'll get to Dock's house."

"On the ground or above?"

"We'll go by the roofs," she nodded her head firmly. "There are too many soldiers."

When Katara gave Zuko the signal, they both ran toward the alley. Instinctively, they boosted each other up the sides of the buildings, jumping from window to window and leveraging each other's weight to find the rooftops.

"Where to now?"

Katara surveyed her surroundings. Looking to the abandoned factory, she pointed at the building directly across from the factory.

Zuko gracefully hopped from one roof to the next as Katara followed, trying to match his stealthy steps. The chimney was burning on Dock's house. With a swipe of his hand, Zuko extinguished the fire in the house, and the two of them hopped down chimney.

Katara was the first to exit the fireplace, seeing no one. She looked around and saw a simple wall-hanging with the characters for Dock, Xu, and Bushi—the names of all his personalities. Relieved that it was surely Dock's home, she motioned for Zuko to join her.

"How could I forget the sweet aroma of his fish market?" Zuko said, plugging his nose.

"Maybe that's where he is. I'll check down there."

Katara tip toed down the steps to Dock's store. She glanced around and saw nothing. She thought it rather strange that Dock was not home when it was well after midnight. She walked toward the shuttered front window and tripped.

Zuko must have heard the thud because she heard his hoarse whisper coming from the stairs, "Katara, are you alright?"

She sat up and saw a small sliver of light between the floorboards next to where she tripped. "Zuko, come here!"

In a moment, he was next to her.

"I just tripped on that rug, but look! I think there must be a cellar down there."

Shoving his long fingers in between the boards, he pried up a small door. Zuko jumped down. "It's a tunnel. The light's coming from a lantern."

She jumped down behind him. Wordlessly, he moved forward. She reached out against the side of the tunnel which seemed to be made of pitch and tar. She could feel the river just outside the tunnel. "We're underwater."

The tunnel stretched to be several hundred feet long. At the end there was just a wall, looking up, Katara saw another door. She reached to open it.

"Katara, stop," he whispered. "You don't even know where it goes."

"Well, we need to do something, Zuko. We don't have that much time."

He nodded in defeat as she opened the trap door. When she popped her head up through the door, she saw eight people around a table starring at her wide eyed. Dock looked at her and yelled, "Well, I'll be darned! It's the Painted Lady!"

Seeing Zuko pop up behind her, Dock exclaimed, "And the Blue Spirit!"

One of the women in the group bowed before them and said, "My Lord, My Lady." The rest of the group followed.

Katara and Zuko bowed back. No one said a word for a moment. Katara stepped forward. "You may be wondering why we are here—"

"Yes, we were," Dock said loudly.

"Well, we came here looking for the local Fire Nation resistance, and we hoped that you would be willing to work with our larger resistance."

One woman spoke up quietly, "My Lady, how did you find us?"

Katara smiled slightly, "The Blue Eyed Lady of the Fire Nation?"

Upon seeing her reaction, Zuko assuaged her. "One of our army's recruits from the Fire Nation colonies told us that the song and the resistance originated in Juang Hui, from what she had been heard. Knowing that Dock knew everything that went on in town—"

"My name is Bushi!"

"Knowing that Bushi knew everything that went on in town, we figured he would be involved. We found the trapdoor on accident after we broke into Dock's house."

"Bushi!"

"Bushi's house."

A woman, maybe ten years older than Zuko, stood up from her chair and made her way over to Katara and Zuko. She had dark, opaque eyes and a firm set mouth. She bowed from the waist twice, "My Lord, My Lady, I am Azumi, the leader of this resistance."

Zuko bowed back, "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"And, please, for now, just call us Generals Zuko and Katara," Katara insisted.

Azumi smiled solemnly, "Generals, what would you have us do?"

Zuko and Katara outlined their plan to the group. Katara was surprised to see how organized Azumi's small group really was. From their code words to their underground room to their covert communication with other resistance groups, Katara couldn't have dreamed of better on-the-ground allies in the Fire Nation. Even more than that, she liked Azumi as a person. She was serious and invulnerable yet Katara felt her vibrant and passionate spirit underneath it all—kind of like her Gran Gran, she thought amusedly.

When they dispersed, Azumi touched Katara's shoulder, "General Katara, would you and General Zuko like to sleep in my home tonight?"

Katara turned to Zuko and then nodded.

"My home is just above here."

Azumi climbed pushed open a small potion of ceiling, jumped on the table and pulled herself up to the room above. Katara and Zuko followed. They found themselves in a small room full of spools of thread and fabric. "I'm the town seamstress," Azumi remarked with a wry smile as she covered up the small hatch with a fabric rack. "Come with me."

They followed her out of the closet to the main room of her workshop where she showed them up the stairs to her apartment.

"Mama?" a small voice called out from the corner.

Azumi swooped down to a small trundle bed in the corner of the small apartment. "It's okay, Baby. I just brought some friends. You can meet them in the morning, but for now, go back to sleep."

Katara watched the tenderness with which Azumi treated her child. Not only was Azumi tough, cunning, and courageous, but she was tenderhearted and loving. Katara had always warred with those two sides of herself, never quite finding the balance between softness and strength, but Azumi seemed different. Katara saw the two sides of her and found no contradictions. Azumi was completely loving and completely tough at the same time. Katara smiled to herself.

Azumi grabbed a mat leaning against the wall next to her bed, and unrolled it. Zuko nodded at Azumi as Katara put their blanket on top of the mat.

Once Azumi was in bed on the opposite side of the room, Katara and Zuko lied down, facing each other. She could barely make out his face in the dark. She put a hand on his scarred cheek and stroked it with her thumb. The scarred skin was tough yet somehow his scar emphasized his kind eyes. She felt him relax under her touch, and she pulled her hand away from his scar. Every time she touched his scar was an extremely vulnerable experience for him, but after all these years, he had become comfortable with letting her in.

He pulled her body against his, so that her head was lying against his chest. She felt his breaths grow deep and calm.

She felt her mind numbing as sleep pulled at her. Zuko's scar, she thought, and his kind eyes.

...

When she woke up, the full moon was still in the sky. Zuko was still fast asleep. She got up quietly as not to wake him and walked downstairs. She saw Azumi sitting in front of the fire with a cup of tea. Katara sat down next to her.

"Tea?" Azumi held up the teapot.

Katara nodded, and Azumi poured the tea.

As Azumi handed her the cup, Katara stared in the cup and sniffed. "Jasmine," she said with a gentle laugh. "It's Zuko's uncle's favorite tea."

Azumi smiled, "Do you mean General Iroh?"

She nodded, her face falling slightly. Sometimes she forgot that Zuko and his family were royalty. "So, who came up with the 'Blue Eyed Lady of the Fire Nation?'"

"That was one of Dock's ramblings," Azumi seemed amused. "He's actually quite the accomplished poet."

Katara giggled, "I could believe it."

"Little did we think that we would actually have a blue-eyed Fire Lady." Katara was slightly off-put, but Azumi continued, "We originally wanted the song to make people more sympathetic to the Water Tribes and Earth Kingdom by sharing the story of an amazing waterbender who came to help a Fire Nation town."

"Well, Zuko's not the Fire Lord yet. Nor are we married—"

"Yet," Azumi added.

Katara blushed. "We're set to get married just before the Vernal Equinox."

Azumi looked toward the fire. "I could tell as we were discussing the plans for our resistance. You seemed to know what the other would do before they said it. It was fascinating to see you two work together. I could see that he trusts you completely."

"I'm surprised that you noticed. That's quite observant."

Azumi smiled half heartedly and looked down into her cup of tea. "I used to work that way with my wife."

Katara looked at Azumi questioningly. She didn't want to pry, but Azumi's use of the past tense didn't escape her.

"When the factory was at the height of production about seven years ago, I was raped by a Fire Nation soldier. That's how I got pregnant with Omi—my daughter."

Sensing Azumi pause, Katara said, "She's a beautiful child."

"Thank you," she said sincerely and took a breath before continuing. "I was so cold toward anyone in the army. I was cold toward everyone in town. All I did was work and take care of Omi—until I met my wife Shino."

Katara put her hand in Azumi's and squeezed gently. Azumi sighed and continued, "Shino and I got married four years ago. She was a mother to Omi. She was drafted into the Fire Nation army. I was so angry that she was leaving, but she said she had to go. If she didn't, they would have hurt Omi and me. Several weeks later I received a hawk saying that she had died from an 'unknown illness.' I never had the chance to see her body."

Azumi glared at the fire. Katara saw one solitary tear fall into her tea cup.

"Every morning, Omi asked me when Shino was coming home—she was only four years old. I never knew what to say, but I slowly figured out what to do."

She looked at Katara with intensity. "I was going to fight, not for myself, but for Shino's past and Omi's future."

Katara gave Azumi a hug. After all this woman had been through, she was so selfless and strong and caring. Katara made a decision then and there.

"Azumi, I would like to honor you as one of our army's commanders."

The woman was shocked to say the least. "Wha—"

"You know your stuff, you're honorable—something that Zuko requires in any leader—and I think you would be a tremendous leader. Of course I would have to talk it over with Zuko, but I would like to put you in charge of all the underground resistance throughout the Fire Nation."

"I would be honored. But, what would it entail?"

"Well, our army has virtually no contact with these local groups throughout the colonies and rural Fire Nation. We would like you to connect with them and help us organize. You would have to come with us to our base first—"

"What about Omi?" Azumi interrupted.

"I would leave that up to you. You could bring her with you—the fortress is certainly secure but not necessarily the place for a child—or you could leave her here with someone you trust. It's up to you."

Azumi saw the sun begin to rise through the paper windows. "The sun is rising. That means Omi will be up any minute."

Then, it dawned on Katara. "Is Omi a bender?"

"Yes, why?"

"Then, you should bring her with you!"

Azumi looked confused.

"If you bring her with you, she could be trained in fire bending from the masters! Zuko, Aang, and Iroh would be happy to teach her the peaceful method of fire bending."

"Really?"

Katara nodded.

Azumi looked thrilled. "Okay, well, let me talk about it with Omi first, but oh, spirits! You don't know how much that would mean to her, Katara!" She paused for a minute. Katara almost laughed aloud, seeing the serious woman so enthused. "Would you like to meet her?"

The two went upstairs to find Zuko and Omi gently tossing fireballs to each other.

"Omi, no bending in the house!"

Zuko put a hand up, "I'm sorry, Azumi. It was my idea."

"No worries, my Lord."

"Please, call me Zuko."

Azumi nodded. "Omi, I would like you to meet two of my friends—Zuko and Katara."

Omi's eyes widened. "Like the prince?"

Zuko grimaced slightly, "Not quite."

"And Katara? Like in the song that Uncle Dock sings to me?"

"Yes, dear. She's the same Katara."

Omi grinned and grabbed Katara's hand. "Can you play with me?"

Azumi smiled and cupped her daughter's cheek. "I'm sure Katara would love to play, but we've got to prepare for the store to open. And, they have to hide here, so no one will find them."

Omi nodded solemnly, understanding the situation. "Later then?" she asked Katara and Zuko.

"Of course," Zuko said, smoothing the little girl's hair out of her eyes.

Azumi put her hands on her hips. "Let's go, Omi. We'll leave you two to your own devices."

As soon as the mother and daughter went down the stairs, Katara flopped down against the mat.

Zuko went to lay down next to her, lying on his side. "Didn't get much sleep?"

Katara nodded, closing her eyes.

Zuko cupped her cheek and leaned down to kiss her gently. As soon as his lips moved from hers, she said, "I asked Azumi to be the commander of the underground Fire Nation resistance."

"I think that's a wonderful idea," he murmured against her collar bone.

"You do?" she asked, entertained.

"I like her already. She seems honorable," he said as he pressed another kiss to her neckline.

Katara tried to stifle her laugh, "I knew you would say that!"

"If you know me so well, what do you think I'm going to do now?" he whispered.

"Hm… Can I guess?" She sat up seductively and pulled her shirt over her head.

"I suppose you do know me, after all."

As silently as he could, he kissed his way from her chest down her stomach to between her thighs, kissing her until she had to bite a pillow just to stifle her moans.

She wished she could hold on to this moment. She felt happy and secure and safe. For a moment, she could pretend that they were two normal people, trying to quiet their lovemaking as to not wake their neighbors. They were just two people who met at the market one day and fell madly in love.

 _Sokka, Suki, Toph, and Aang had gone to sleep already. Everything was packed and ready for them to leave Ember Island the next day. As Katara and Zuko finished counting the money that the Gaang had, she looked at Zuko questioningly. "Well, I guess we should go to sleep."_

 _He looked at her with an expression she could not place. "You go ahead. I don't think I'll be able to get to sleep tonight."_

 _She watched as he sat on the sofa, staring directly into the fire. Something was wrong. She came around to sit next to him and grabbed his hand. "What's wrong, Zuko?"_

 _"Do you ever imagine that you're someone else?"_

 _She felt his eyes burning into hers and the hand that he was holding tingle. She nodded._

 _"In these quiet moments, I often sit and think about what would happen if wasn't myself. If I wasn't a prince, if I wasn't ugly, if I hadn't done all the bad things that I've done. I wish that you and I were just two normal people who met on the street and fell—" Katara's breath hitched. "—and became friends."_

 _He quickly looked away from her and starred at the fire._

 _"Zuko," she turned her body toward him and pulled his face to look at her. "I think it's okay to want to be someone else sometimes. I feel it too—the need to be someone else—but you also have to love yourself Zuko."_

 _He tried to look away from her, but she held his face in place. "I wish you could see yourself through my eyes because although you wish you weren't a prince, I see that it gave you the power and the education to change the world. And, although you did horrible things in the past, I don't think you would have the intense drive to be good if you didn't." She paused, almost feeling her words sink into him. Then, she laughed and cast her eyes down, "And, if you were ugly, I wouldn't have to chase away all the—Well, just trust me, you're attractive."_

 _She felt his cheeks heat under her touch and dropped her hands._

 _"But, if it helps you, let's pretend!"_

 _His eyes widened, "What?"_

 _"Let's pretend that we're just normal people having a conversation. No war, no father, no death!"_

 _Zuko looked reluctant. Katara took his hand. "Come on, let's take a walk."_

 _She pulled him out the door for a stroll on the beach. "So, how was your day?"_

 _Zuko looked uncomfortably at their intertwined hands. "Um… Fine, I guess… What about you?"_

 _"Oh, I went to the market with my friend. I was trying to figure out whether it was a date or not, but I couldn't tell." Katara felt his hand grip hers a little tighter as he realized she was talking about the two of them._

 _"Then, I went home to talk help my Gran Gran with some chores." She felt him breathe a sigh of relief as she slipped back into fiction._

 _"Gran Gran chided me for being such a flirt and then she forced me to work on my water bending!"_

 _"Katara?" Zuko stopped walking, anchoring Katara to her place._

 _She turned around to face him. "Hm?"_

 _"Can we just be Katara and Zuko again? I don't like your alter-ego very much."_

 _Katara laughed, "Sure, let's go back to the house."_

...

Please let me know what you think! I'm trying to get back in the groove of this story!


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